Racing/Driving Games and Accessories - Happy Shopping! :)

Friday, March 16, 2018

GRID 2 offers a more rebellious flow than its predecessor. This game from 2013 further blows the minds of those blown away from GRID 1. Can you grow the WSR- World Series Racing, to be the premier sport in the world? There are so many challenges that await you when you get into the world of GRID 2. Get ready for another blog post of mine!

GRID 2

Let's talk GRID 2, shall we?

^ from: (Amazon) - GRID 2 went even further away from ToCA and has more of a Need for Speed style to it.

Amid the success of GRID, GRID 2 took on a slightly different take on the GRID world. GRID 2 takes on more of a Need for Speed style in its racing. A lot of the racing in GRID 2 takes place mostly on city streets but with a few proper circuits mixed in.

For the most part, GRID 2 is about creating one of the best racing series in the world apart from the proper racing world. You are basically part of a rogue team trying to create the best motorsport series left of the mainstream. This rogue series you are creating is called World Series Racing, or WSR for short. Trying to make this the best racing series in the world (let alone the fastest-growing sport) is to try to gather up various racing teams as well as earn loads of fans worldwide. Who knows? You might even be featured on ESPN! Then too, the racing is meant to help rival mainstream racing. So get ready for one of the fiercest racing competitions ever!

Vehicles.

You are racing a variety of vehicles the world over. In addition to the vehicles offered in the game, you also can purchase downloadable content (DLC) to expand your GRID 2 experience. There are many more cars in GRID 2 ranging from classic and modern cars. Unlike in the first GRID, you earn new vehicles rather than buy them with in-game credit. You can create your own liveries for vehicles using an array of patterns, sponsors, and colors. There are also three types of livery layouts: race, street, and drift. They give your liveries a different kind of personality based on whichever one you choose.

Your online profile is different from your offline profile. So you won't have all the available cars from your Career unless you unlock them at various levels in Online mode.

Vehicles can be earned as reward cars or through doing Vehicle Events.

Locations.

Locations involved mostly pertain to various city courses along with a few proper courses. You will go around the world in places like the California coastline, Chicago, Barcelona, Paris, Dubai, and Hong Kong among many other locales.

Races and Championships.

To become this motorsports juggernaut, you must earn the attention of various clubs worldwide. Doing so involves taking on drivers in a number of races. Career Mode requires you to earn the respect of other clubs worldwide while also growing a global fan base. Earning enough fans and respect will result in growing the WSR.

These are the various styles of races you can participate in GRID 2:

• Race - a straight-up race on closed circuits and open circuits alike.
• Time Attack - post the best lap time around a circuit during the allowed time.
• Drift - acquire the most points in a drift run to win these events.
• Eliminator - you don't always have to be first, but you don't want to be last. Drivers are eliminated after a certain countdown.
• Overtake - pass as many vehicles as possible in a number of laps. Passing more increases the point bonus. Off-track and collisions bring you back down to 100 points for overtakes.
• Touge - cross the finish line first or lead your opponent by 5 seconds to win. Touge is a best-of-3 format. Contact with your opponent will disqualify you, even if you get hit.
• Faceoff - one-on-one race battles in a Tournament-style format. Win and advance; lose and go home.
• Checkpoint - run the longest distance by clearing checkpoints within the given time.
• Endurance - last longer than your opposition by driving the longest distance among all competitors.
• Demolition Derby - race in a circuit race with demolition derby cars.
• Liveroutes - the routes for courses changes constantly, and your job is to finish the longest against the others in what is a seemingly endless circuit.

In addition to defeating teams, you also must please sponsors. Success in Promotional Events will earn you more fans.

You can also race online, but I have no online experience to comment on, so I will leave this up to you.

GRID 2: Final Thoughts

GRID 2 takes on a focus more along the lines of several illegal street racing games while still maintaining a general Codemasters racer feel. For many people, this game took some negative reviews from fans for shying away from most of what made ToCA games (along with the first GRID) great. This game is still plenty enjoyable. My own problem is that you can't transfer over your Career Mode cars into Online play. You are doing two different profiles (essentially) when you do online play as opposed to your offline career. Having ESPN along for the game is quiite a bit gimmicky, but it doesn't hurt the game too badly. GRID 2 is still a very exciting game even with a number of its flaws.

GRID was the evolution of the ToCA Race Driver games from Codemasters. Rather than be an unforgiving sim racer, GRID is more arcade-like. Fierce, full-contact racing is still the norm here. You will get all of that (and then some) as you take on the world of GRID. Intense street course racing, challenging European circuit racing, and extreme Japanese drift action all await you in this all-or-nothing thrill ride. So get ready for my look at GRID here on "John's Race Space!"

GRID

Get to know GRID.

^ from: (Amazon) - GRID is a new direction for one of Codemasters' most successful series.

Having established itself as providing some of the best racing games, Codemasters decided to take one of its fine series and give it some new life. The British developer is known for series such as the ToCA games as well as the Colin McRae Rally titles. Apart from the success of the ToCA Race Driver series in the PlayStation 2/Gamecube/XBOX era, GRID is the evolution of the ToCA games. This series took on a different personality from the usually sim-oriented ToCA Race Driver games. GRID is still a sim-racing style game. The action is a bit more arcade-like. However, it is not too arcadish to where it borderlines the Need for Speed games. Your goal? Simple- be the best racer in all of the world across a variety of motorsports disciplines. Have not only the best driver, but also be the best team.

Regions.

You deal with three different regions in GRID. Here are the three regions involved:

Each region has a set of races for you to take part in. You even can buy cars from each region to compete in these various events.

Cars.

There are about 52 or so cars to choose from in GRID. There are 15 American cars, 16 European cars, and 11 Japanese cars. You must purcshase a certain vehicle to be able to compete in racing events. This option will be open if you do not have a vehicle to race with for a certain event. If you're strapped for cash, you can go with a secondhand vehicle. You can also go with certain offers from teams.

Cars are divided into a number of disciplines. Here is a look at the disciplines you will be involved with:

Once you own your own vehicle, you can customize it with livery options. More on customization later in this post.

Locations.

The various locations in GRID are all locales in the United States, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific. These include various temporary courses and proper racing circuits. A lot of these venues can be raced in the reverse configuration. You can race on the streets of cities like San Francisco, Detroit, Milan, and Tokyo. Your circuit racing happens on tracks like Spa-Francorchamps and Istanbul Park. No matter what, you will have your hands full on the variety of courses this game has to offer.

This game includes some fictional courses, such as Okutama. You still will be tested to a great degree.

Races and Championships.

To race in a variety of events, you will need to establish yourself. Doing so involves gaining reputation. Generating enough reputation will allow you to compete in more events and eventually reach the highest tier of competition in GRID. You will be taking each season slowly as you work your way up.

In Career Mode, each season ends with the 24 Hours of Le Mans. You can choose to race this event or skip and go to the next season. Finishing high in the order can lead you to some major sponsors.

You will certainly make mistakes in your racing. You may either restart a race entirely, or use your Flashbacks. Flashbacks can be used to correct one of your most recent mistakes to better be able to get a better outcome than what you just experienced. You are not required to use Flashbacks, but at least know they are there when you need them. Just don't make too many mistakes too often to where you run out of Flashbacks.

You can also race online in GRID, but I have no experience here. So I will leave this up to you.

Team Matters.

Being successful in racing can not be done alone. You need a team to establish yourself all the while. So your performance matters a lot as you try to advance through the ranks of the GRID world. Early on, you will go solo. Later, you will be able to pick a teammate to help boost winnings and profile for your team.

• Branding - choose pattern, colors, and number for your team.

• Team Mate - pick a teammate to compete alongside you in races. Teammates are on certain ranks and have certain specialties. Signing fees vary per teammate. Cash winnings from races will be split in certain ways based on you and your teammate. You can sign one teammate but later try to land more quality teammates later. You also can compare teammates to try to find the best fit for your team.

• Sponsors - select sponsors to sponsor your car. Sponsors will pay you extra money for clearing certain objectives in races. Success in racing series and events will earn you new sponsors. You can have a maximum of eight sponsors on your car. You have a major sponsor followed by seven minor sponsors. The major sponsor pays double. Clear the objective for the sponsor in races, and you will receive extra money outside of the original race purse. You can change sponsors anywhere on the car to your liking.

My recommendation- if you have trouble trying to clear some of the harder tasks, just choose the sponsors who will pay you for simply finishing the race. At least this gives you some extra money instead of having no money.

• Team Rankings - find out where your team ranks among others in the game.

• Driver Rankings - find out where you rank among other drivers in the game.

It is a lot to do, but certainly doable. Oh, and if you want to REALLY establish yourself in GRID, be sure to take down Ravenwest Motorsports. They are the fiercest rivals in all of GRID.

GRID: Final Thoughts

GRID will be pretty foreign in concept for the more sim-oriented crowd. However, GRID is not too far out of touch for ToCA veterans. The calamity and danger provided in GRID is enough to satisfy even the most discriminating racing game fan. Hard to believe this is a game from 2008. It still resonates as a great title even today. I personally prefer GRID 1 over the later GRID 2 and GRID Autosport (reviews for these two games coming soon!). Definitely get GRID for PC or console if you haven't experienced the wicked action provided in GRID.

Want GRID? Here is a version you can get for PlayStation 3. Or, you can get for any other platform:

ToCA Race Driver 3 was the most challenging of the ToCA Race Driver games. Released in 2006, ToCA Race Driver 3 was the swan song of the series in the PS2/XBOX era. It focused on more realistic racing across multiple disciplines. It offered the greatest challenge. Also, it offered some unique machines to race. This blog post of mine will let you know if ToCA Race Driver 3 is worth your time or not. Let's do this!

ToCA Race Driver 3

^ from: www.amazon.com - ToCA Race Driver 3 is the ultimate challenge in the ToCA Race Driver trilogy with its different disciplines and intense races.

ToCA Race Driver 3 is the ultimate challenge from the world of Codemasters and ToCA.

The story? If you were intrigued to stories in the first two ToCA Race Driver games, prepare to be disappointed with ToCA Race Driver 3. There is still a good deal of action that takes place. Really, the game focuses much less on stories and more on real racing.

Vehicles.

The mixed bag of racing machines come true again with ToCA Race Driver 3. Many of the machines are unique and capable. You can race sports cars, touring cars, go-karts, lawn mowers, stock cars, big rig trucks, rally raid vehicles, off-road buggies, monster trucks, and various formula race cars among many others. You even get to compete with a few real series such as DTM and V8 Supercars. The amount of vehicles are diverse.

Some of the cars even have some elements to take into consideration. For example, the appeal of the Palmer Audi cars is that they allow you to have a few shots of extra horsepower on demand. You also have to learn how to handle machines such as the monster trucks.

Unlike the previous two ToCA Race Driver games, you can actually upgrade certain vehicles in ToCA Race Driver 3. Each upgrade allows you to gain somewhat of an edge against opposing cars. You can select from upgrading certain slots or have the mechanic auto-select upgrades for you. Or, you can choose to do away with upgrades and try to win with the machine you are offered.

Locations.

ToCA Race Driver 3 features a handful of different tracks ranging from low-level circuits to world-class racing facilities. Tarmac and non-tarmac action can be had in this game across this game's different disciplines of action. Temporary courses and off-road courses are also part of the deal. There are many locations to test your racing skill in ToCA Race Driver 3. Races can only be run either under dry conditions or rainy conditions. There are no preferences towards races at sunset.

There are a handful of real world locations you can visit. Courses new to the ToCA Race Driver series include Ireland's Mondello Park and the Bahrain International Circuit in Bahrain. There are fictional courses that are run by the likes of the go-karts and even the different off-road racing series. There is even one location with three proper rally stages.

Races and Championships.

You will be racing a more concentrated series of races unlike the other two ToCA Race Driver games. Here is a look at each of the disciplines:

Various series even have different rules you must adhere to if you want to avoid being disqualified. Just like in ToCA Race Driver 2, some championships in ToCA Race Driver 3 have realistic sets of rules you can enable if you please. Acquiring Cups in different racing series will allow you to unlock the Bonus championships. Your success in World Tour mode will help you to unlock more championships.

Races and Championships: Special Considerations.

I noted a few different things with the vehicles. There are more considerations to consider. Some championships have classes to them. You only need to be concerned with vehicles in your class if you want to win.

Now on to some Final Thoughts.

ToCA Race Driver 3: Final Thoughts

ToCA Race Driver 3 offers the most intense ToCA Race Driver experience of the three games. While it is very realistic and unforgiving, I personally don't find it too much fun often times. It still will keep you busy and test your racing skill in so many ways. This game may be a disappointment if you are expecting an interesting story line. The greater focus on racing in general is surely a reason to stick around and play this game from start to finish. The amount of detail and attention to detail does not disappoint in the least sense. So you will be competing valiantly against a host of opposition in many different races and disciplines. Prepare to hunker down- you're going to be racing for quite a while if you want to unlock everything! The racing may not be as loose, but for what it is, it is a very well done game well worth your time.

Come and get this game for the PlayStation 2 (also available for other platforms)!

That's it for the ToCA Race Driver series featured here on "John's Race Space!" I'm glad you could be a part of this experience. I must bid you farewell in the meanwhile. Thank you for reading! Take care and be well.

Thursday, March 15, 2018

ToCA Race Driver 2 was released in 2004 and offers many more racing disciplines for players. A variety of race types and machines mean you will be in for an incredible world tour of racing. HOW incredible, though? My blog post will fill you in on what all makes ToCA Race Driver 2 either a great game or a game to pass on. Get ready- it's review time!

ToCA Race Driver 2

^ from: www.amazon.com - ToCA Race Driver features many disciplines of motorsport with races taking place all over the world.

ToCA Race Driver 2 is bent on dominating many more disciplines of motorsport besides [mostly] touring car racing. In addition to the usual suspects of racing, you are also met with different other disciplines of motorsport apart from basic touring cars. Your racing will take place in many different countries and continents. It was released to PlayStation 2, XBOX, and PC in 2004.

ToCA Race Driver 2's story goes away from the cinematic masterpiece that was ToCA Race Driver. Instead, you are trying to ascend your way from low-level racing up to the highs of the Masters Grand Prix (in other words, Formula 1). Doing so involves trying to rack up loads of money. You start small before having the chance of a lifetime to race in the prestigious Masters Grand Prix. Along the way are hot-headed drivers, some underhanded and sneaky moments, and much more in your quest to become one of the world's greatest racers. Take on each challenge as best as you can and work to become the greatest driver in the world!

Vehicles.

The vehicles you race with are a mixed bag of different disciplines and cars. You go from low-level touring cars up to high-end GT cars. You compete with low-powered formula cars before going up to the Masters Grand Prix cars. You even race in pickup trucks, big rig trucks, rally cars, and rally raid style machines. Again- a little of everything in ToCA Race Driver 2. This also includes a combination of licensed vehicles and non-licensed vehicles. Unlike in the previous ToCA Race Driver, you can suffer terminal damage. A hard-enough hit can result in your car being too damaged to repair. So be careful as you race.

You can race extra cars for championships with success in the Simulator Modes.

Locations.

There are many courses spread across four or five continents. There are a few fictional courses among the diverse lineup of tracks. Tracks can be raced on in the daytime, in rainy conditions, or in sunset. Tracks include ovals, road courses, street courses, and some off-road tracks.

You can run any number of laps around tracks. You can even run the full distance races in the Simulator Modes. Races can be a quick sprint race including full-length races such as with the Bathurst 1000.

Races and Championships.

If you do the Career Mode, you will be met with the game's main story. This is where you go from having no money and given no chance to being your own superstar. I am being tight-lipped about the details of the story. Regardless, this is something you'll slowly learn of as you progress through the game.

ToCA Race Driver 2 is a bit of a game-changer in regards to racing types. A big part of this is in the simulation of realistic racing rules. Racing in the Simulation Mode will allow you to compete in some series with individual rules. For a lot of the series, you can run races based on various rules. For example, you can race in some series that have a second race with a grid based on the reverse finishing order of the first race. There are a total of 30 races, but you can unlock three more series to have a grand total of 33 series to race in. You will surely be kept busy here.

You can unlock more series by racing in the main story mode. You can also do some online racing if you fancy online racing.

Final thoughts coming up. Go to the next section!

ToCA Race Driver 2: Final Thoughts

I personally like ToCA Race Driver 2 the most of the ToCA Race Driver trilogy. It is the most forgiving with a variety of racing machines to choose from. The game features some great graphics. The tracks and cars are done in a fabulous manner. The storyline from the previous ToCA Race Driver was pretty mundane at times. Thankfully, ToCA Race Driver 2's storyline is a bit more engaging and fun. Maybe my only complaint is that some races can be pretty tough to win. Thankfully, the races themselves are not fully frustrating. So you have more leeway in this game than you do in the previous ToCA. With many races to choose from on a variety of tracks, it is tough to really get bored with the race variety. I don't think you will be disappointed in the least sense with the action this game provides.

For PlayStation 2 (also for other platforms), here is the game I've made mention to all post long:

I am very pleased for you to come to "John's Race Space" and check out this review. Be sure to follow this blog in some capacity if you want more of my work! Thank you for reading! Take care and be well.

Codemasters' ToCA games were about touring car racing. Back in 2003, ToCA Race Driver attempted to not only enhance racing, but provide a cinematic experience. The result is this unique racing game. My thoughts on this title will be expressed in this blog post. So if you are looking for some classic racing games, maybe this is one you can consider i I provide good marks for it. Welcome one and all to "John's Race Space!"

NOTES: This blog post is about my PlayStation 2 experience with this game, and by its proper name (besides its USA name). My version of this game won't run any more on my PS2, so all I will share with you is based on what I remember about this game.

ToCA Race Driver

Pro Race Driver (USA name) merged motorsports with movies. There is a cinematic feel to the action as you explore this realm of racing. The vastly successful ToCA World Touring Cars has lent itself the opportunity to try a different style of ToCA with a new twist.

In the 1980s, there was a race that happened as the McKane brothers watched their dad race. While father McKane won the race, he was then blindsided by a sore loser and died in a fiery crash. The two McKane brothers are now grown up and have their own racing careers. You play as one of the brothers, Ryan McKane. Being the little brother to big brother McKane, you are doing what you can to get out of big brother's shadow. The profile you can select is based on the nickname you choose for Ryan McKane. It is up to you to help Ryan McKane become the greatest driver in the world.

Cars.

All of the cars you can select in ToCA Race Driver are all either pure race cars or street cars tuned for racing. You can compete in a vast number of racing machines by series. Each car takes a good amount of damage depending on how rough the racing gets. Try to race as clean as you can. Selecting a car will allow you to choose different liveries.

There are extra cars you can unlock by winning challenges in the Career Mode.

Locations.

To my knowledge, every course in ToCA Race Driver is a real-world course. You can compete on any of the tracks in different conditions. Courses can be raced on in dry or wet conditions. Some tracks can even be raced in the evening. You can unlock more tracks through progression through the Career Mode.

Races and Career.

Try out any number of different race events in Career Mode or outside of the main mode with Free Race. You can even take part in multiplayer action.

In Career Mode, you can race in any championship for any team. Some team offers, however, require you to complete a time trial before you can race for that team. You then try to fulfill as many objectives as possible to get yourself into the bigger and better races. There are three tiers of competition in ToCA Race Driver. You begin in the Super Sports Tier and then work your way up into the Power Tier. Your ultimate goal is to race in the LOLA World Championship with the fastest cars and toughest races.

It is recommended that you try to finish races rather than exit out of them. This gives you the best chance of completing each championship and earning the proper progress.

Now for some of my Final Thoughts on this game.

ToCA Race Driver: Final Thoughts

ToCA Race Driver surely offers a more intense and more immersive experience than the previous ToCA generation. In it, you will be involved with greater racing challenges with some great-looking graphics. The challenge is surely real from the racing to the cinematic approach to everything. I think the movie-like atmosphere is done very well, though the acting can be pretty dopey at times. My biggest problem with ToCA Race Driver is its AI. The AI can be so aggressive sometimes that you feel you have to defeat them before they defeat you. There were times where the AI tried to kill me first chance they get. Other than this, if you're a fan of the ToCA games from Codemasters, this title should be in your collection of racing games.

Want this game? For the PlayStation 2, here is the game of the hour (it is available for other platforms, though):

I hope you found this review interesting. I am pleased to share another review here on my racing/driving game blog. Thank you for reading! Take care and be well.

Sunday, March 11, 2018

SEGA Rally Championship takes off-roading to a new level. This series began life in 1994 with the first title. You could race with two incredible rally cars- either the Toyota Celica GT-Four or the Lancia Delta HF Integrale. You take on three different rally courses. Can you handle the pressure? This blog post is a look back at the brilliant off-road racer from SEGA.

Sega Rally Championship

^ from: (YouTube - best I could find) - Prove you are the finest rally racer when you take part in Sega Rally Championship!

SEGA Rally Championship continues SEGA's showcase of skill in creating quality racing games. This 1994 game was released for arcade, Sega Saturn, and PC. It was created with cooperation with Toyota and Lancia to provide the respective rally cars from the respective brands. While these World Rally Championship rally cars are featured, this game is not licensed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). There are also no official or authentic courses run by the World Rally Championship. What you WILL get, though, is a rally challenge unlike no other. While Daytona USA was an iconic title for SEGA, SEGA Rally Championship is iconic in its own right in continuing with textured polygons.

The Cars.

Only two cars can be raced, and both come either in Automatic or Manual/Standard transmission:

• The Toyota Celica GT-Four has been a long-time rally racing weapon for Toyota. You get to race this top-level Japanese rally monster in SEGA Rally Championship.

• Lancia is one of the finest marques in rally racing history. While many people know Lancia's rally success with the legendary Stratos of the 1970s, their latest (at the time of this game) mount is the HF Integrale. Try your best to handle this Italian rally race car.

The Locations.

The tracks may seem like proper rally stages, but you are really doing runs around closed circuits.

• Desert
The Desert stage is an easy course with plenty of high-speed corners and some nice jumps.

• Forest
In the Forest stage, you will have to contend with some tough corners and even go through a tunnel. A few of the corners can be very sharp as you try to navigate your way around the course.

• Mountain
This is the toughest challenge of the courses offered. You start in a village and wind your way through rather narrow roads with very sharp corners. You need to be on your game and be alert all the way around this course.

• Lake Side (Bonus)
If you manage to place first after doing the three courses, you are given one last challenge- a Lake Side course at sunset. This course has a myriad of corners of varying difficulty as well as variations in track width. Do your best to clear this course in time. Clear this course, and consider yourself a master of SEGA Rally Championship!

A first-place finish is not required for every stage. Just make sure, however, to complete the courses in time. Your time will be extended when you cross the checkpoints. Be alert of other cars in your way and pass them properly.

And there is your look at SEGA Rally Championship.

SEGA Rally Championship: Final Thoughts

SEGA Rally Championship remains a fun title even 20+ years later. Even the home versions, despite not being the same quality of the arcade, are still vastly fun to play. Few other rally racing games have the fun factor that SEGA Rally Championship provides.

Thanks for your reading of my material here. I wanted to provide a video, but I was unable to find a quality one to share of SEGA Rally Championship.

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Cruis'n on the Wii is The Fast and the Furious in arcades. Yes- based on the hit movie in 2001, this 2004 arcade game was developed by Raw Thrills of the former Midway. The home version is "Cruis'n thanks to licensing rights. I have had some experience playing this arcade game. And so, I will tell you more about it here on "John's Race Space."

The Fast and the Furious/Cruis'n

Time to put this game in the spotlight. Get ready...

^ from: (YouTube) - Cruis'n went an entirely new direction with "The Fast and the Furious.".

Based on the hit movie, The Fast and the Furious is an arcade racing game released by Raw Thrills. Raw Thrills is of the former Midway crew responsible for many classic racing games of the 1990s including the Cruis'n series. This was the new direction of the series after the likes of Cruis'n Exotica.

This game, unlike the original Cruis'n games, take on a completely different style from the three Cruis'n games before it. This game takes on more of an illegal street racing approach. The action still takes place on city streets and some country roads. Unlike past Cruis'n titles, there is more of an upgrade system sort of like the Need for Speed games. There is still outrageous racing action, but the action is more close to Need for Speed than any Cruis'n. There are eight cars to a track (including yours) rather than the ten cars in the past Cruis'n titles. Even with two less cars, the action is still frenzied.

While this game is named after the famous movie, there is no storyline attachment to the movies in this game. So don't worry about trying to closely follow the story in this game as if it were tied to the movie.

About That Wii Title, Cruis'n...

The Nintendo Wii version of "The Fast and the Furious" was simply named Cruis'n, as to continue this series. The licensing rights to use the movie's name were denied, and so the home version of this game was simply named "Cruis'n" for the Wii.

Locations.

There are 10 locations in the Arcade version (some hidden locations), and Cruis'n has 12 locations across the United States. The action either takes place in California, New York, or the northeastern United States. Here is a look at all of the venues where you will be racing in this game:

• China Town (Easy) - take a ride around the eccentric and lively China Town of San Francisco, CA, USA.
• Race Wars (Easy) - a race on desert highways in an industrial sector.
• Times Square (Easy) - try to take a bite out of the Big Apple.
• Malibu (Medium) - everything from city streets to winding coastal roads await you here.
• Central Park (Medium) - race through Central Park and venture into uptown New York City.
• L.A. Ghetto (Medium) - can you survive the less glamourous side of Los Angeles?
• Golden Gate (Hard) - this track combines Golden Gate Park with San Francisco's industrial sector.
• New England (Hard) - a drive through beautiful country roads and villages in a Fall/Autumn setting.
• Hollywood (Extreme) - take on the glamourous streets of Los Angeles.
• Mulholland Drive (Extreme) - an insane course with twisty corners in an urban setting. Great for drifting.
• S.F. Tour (Extreme) - as the name implies, take a wacky tour of San Francisco with plenty of difficult roads.

Look for any shortcuts to help you get through traffic or even reduce your race time.

Cars.

Every vehicle in The Fast and the Furious are licensed vehicles. You can select any of the available cars in the game. You then can choose a certain upgrade to boost the performance of that automobile. If you have a PIN number to the arcade unit, you can access your progress easily through a certain code you made. The cars you race include a variety of sports cars and some classics. You can change the color of these machines and tack on upgrades at a time. Try to fully max out your car as you progress through the game. As you acquire more earnings, you are able to gain more upgrades and even get more cars.

Racing.

The racing in this game is fairly straightforward. Eight cars take to the grid as you try to beat all seven opponents to the Finish line. Perform various stunts to cut down your actual lap time. Try to find shortcuts to get an advantage on your opposition. If you have Nitrous installed, take advantage of the Nitrous to get a speed boost when you're trailing. Other than that... try to finish first!

Now that the basics have been covered, get ready for my Final Thoughts.

The Fast and the Furious/Cruis'n: Final Thoughts

While the Cruis'n series had its classic appeal, franchises must evolve. That was the case as this was the first Cruis'n type game under Raw Thrills apart from Midway doing the first three Cruis'n games. "The Fast and the Furious" is only a disappointment if you are looking for a game that closely follows the movie series. This is now a new direction for a long-running series, and it does not deviate too much outside of the outrageous racing style of the past games. It is very much a game to get into when at an arcade or for playing "Cruis'n" on the Nintendo Wii.

Monday, February 12, 2018

Hydro Thunder provided aquatic racing fury when it was released in 1998. You're the best on the road. You're the best off road. Maybe you're the best in the air. But what about on water? If you're game, Midway challenges you to conquer the world of Hydro Thunder and its insane racing action. Get ready for some of the most insane racing action only Midway can provide.

NOTE: This post on Hydro Thunder mostly pertains to the Arcade version.

Hydro Thunder

Hydro Thunder. Get to know it.

^ from: (YouTube) - Get ready for high-powered action on the water with Hydro Thunder.

Hydro Thunder brings the insanity of Midway's style of racing to water. There are not many boat racing games out there. Surely Hydro Thunder is a more than admirable attempt at making an incredible boat racing game. This game hits hard. So if you're not ready to take on the thrills of boat racing, you may be excused from this conversation and this blog post.

Your goal is to take on an entire world of race tracks and try to prove your worth as king (or queen) of the water. Doing so requires you to defeat 15 other boats who want victory as badly as you do. If you succeed, you that 1st Place trophy awaits you. If you fail, you'll have to settle with defeat. These are no average boats you will be using. These are high-powered racing boats capable of insane speeds. Gain an edge either through charing your Booster or by finding shortcuts. Whatever it takes to win, do it!

Tracks.

The tracks feature a mix of closed circuits and open circuits. The easier courses take you around a watery race track and a trip through a jungle. Tougher circuits take you around an icy locale and even a disastrous course around a flooded New York City. There are three Easy courses, three Medium courses, three Hard courses, and four Bonus courses. Here is a little look at each course:

• Thunder Park (Easy) - three laps around a specially-designed water course.
• Lost Island (Easy) - a race around a tropical setting including caves and tropical forests.
• Arctic Circle (Easy) - a track around an icy locale.
• Greek Isles (Medium) - a challenging course around beautiful Greek islands.
• Lake Powell (Medium) - a canyon style stage under a beautiful sunset scene.
• The Far East (Medium) - a course in a Chinese style setting.
• Ship Graveyard (Hard) - a course in a compact industrial sector with boats and factories.
• Venice Canals (Hard) - power your way through the canals of beautiful Venice, Italy.
• N.Y. Disaster (Hard) - a challenging race around a ruined, flooded New York City.

• I'm not sharing the four Bonus courses! You're on your own for that! :P

Boats.

There are a handful of boats to choose from. Each boat features different performance advantages as well as the level of control each boat has. The easier boats are more nimble and not as fast. The harder boats are faster but tougher to control. You unlock more boats in the home versions of Hydro Thunder. As you start out, you have the following: Damn the Torpedoes, Midway, and Miss Behave. Later boats you unlock include Tidal Blade and Rad Hazard among others. There are also some bonus boats out there, so do what you can to unlock those extra boats.

Racing.

Races consist of 16 boats to a track (yours included). On the racing front, collect Nitros to gain an edge. These Nitros will fill your Booster so you can gain an extra speed and acceleration advantage during the course of a race. Blue Nitros give you four seconds of boost, and Red Nitros give you nine seconds of boost. Make sure to clear each of the checkpoints to have your time extended. The checkpoint areas are buoys with numbers on them.

--- Hydro Thunder: Final Thoughts ---

Hydro Thunder is one of the most exciting racing games ever created. It takes the insanity of games like the Cruis'n series and the RUSH games and translated them to boat racing. This game stands out in its own way as they are not as many quality boat racing titles. Surely, no boat racing game is THIS exciting. This is a title to enjoy if you find it in an arcade room or if you buy any of the home versions.

Video Preview.

This video is a sample of the game I blogged about all post long. This, however, is the Nintendo Gamecube version of "Hydro Thunder" (via "Midway Arcade Treasures 3") below:

Sunday, February 11, 2018

The third Cruis'n game was Cruis'n Exotica, released in 1999 by Midway. This title features a vastly fantasy tour of racing. If you thought the first two Cruis'n games were insane, you haven't seen ANYTHING yet! I will introduce "Cruis'n Exotica" to you all with this blog post.

NOTE: This blog post is based on the arcade version of Cruis'n Exotica.

Cruis'n Exotica

Cruis'n Exotica was released in 1999 to arcades and Nintendo 64. This is the first Cruis'n to feature licensed vehicles. Vehicles such as the Chevrolet Corvette C5 and the Hummer H1 are featured in this game. A major graphics overhaul was done with Cruis'n Exotica. Gone are the more flat shaded environments, and in comes environment mapping and some other nice visual effects. The game even runs smoother than Cruis'n USA and Cruis'n World. The arcade version even allows you to save your progress by typing in a keypad code. You can retain your lifetime earnings by simply entering this code at a Cruis'n Exotica unit.

Cruis'n Exotica itself is about outrageous and unreal racing action across a number of wild settings. Gone is trying to dodge pedestrian traffic in major cities. You are contending with things like massive animals, dangerous settings, and many unusual racing settings. You will find yourself racing in places ranging from the streets of Hong Kong to racing underwater in the lost city of Atlantis among other places. Get ready for one of the weirdest experiences ever in the realm of Cruis'n!

Cruis'n Exotica would get versions to the Nintendo 64 and (oddly enough) the Game Boy Color. I have not played a lot of this title to say I am experienced with it.

Locations.

You can race in a number of locations ranging from real-world locations to certain unique settings, such as racing underwater. When you do the Exotica Tour, you will be encountered with a series of races around the world. Prove your worth in these events, and you'll get to compete in one final race away from planet Earth.

• Hong Kong (Medium) - race the highways and city streets of Hong Kong at night.
• Vegas (Easy) - race on the streets of fabulous Las Vegas.
• Alaska (Medium) - this is a scenic race through The Last Frontier State. Includes a large cave.
• Atlantis (Easy) - an underwater stage including the lost city of Atlantis.
• India (Easy) - this is a race on the Indian subcontinent. Watch out for the elephants!
• Ireland (Hard) - a combination of ancient structures and country roads await you here.
• Korea (Easy) take on the country roads and structures of [South] Korea.
• Sahara (Medium) - take a wacky tour through the Sahara Desert in northern Africa.
• Holland (Hard) - windmills and city streets are the scene in this one.
• Amazon (Easy) - drive through the Amazon rain forest in South America. Watch out for dinosaurs!
• Tibet (Hard) - race on the lands of the former Tibet in southwestern China.
• Mars (Hard) - race on the Red Planet. You won on Earth and the moon (Cruis'n World); can you win on Mars as well?

Each venue features a handful of shortcuts and secret areas. There are also points where you can rack up some style points by executing jumps and turbos. Be mindful of these things and do your best to show you're the greatest driver in the game!

Vehicles.

A variety of vehicles await you. Everything from sports cars to oddball machines can be driven. There aren't many performance advantages to any car that I know of. You can change the driver of each car if you wish.

No licensed vehicles appear in the Nintendo 64 version of this game.

Racing.

You obviously want to finish 1st. What can help knock off some extra time from your lap is in performing stunts. Be sure to note which way the traffic flows so you don't get into head-on collisions. Also take note of any places where you can take shortcuts. Use these areas to gain an advantage over the competition.

Now that I have given you a bit of insight on Cruis'n Exotica, I'll offer some final thoughts. So read the next section for more on that.

Cruis'n Exotica: Final Thoughts

While I never played this game religiously in arcades, Cruis'n Exotica is a most unique and most unreal racing experience. The game has a lot of personality as an evolution of the Cruis'n series. This game does not disappoint in the least sense. If you just want an outrageous racing experience from a developer who knows such experiences, you can't do much wrong with Cruis'n Exotica.

I would present you all a video on Cruis'n Exotica, but I was unable to find a good video on this game (preferably, a non-emulated video). So I will leave it up to you to visit YouTube to see videos on this game.

That is all. I hope you enjoyed this blog post! Make sure to Subscribe and Follow in some capacity if you enjoy my work. Thank you for reading! Take care and be well.

Saturday, February 10, 2018

In 1999, Atari released Road Burners to arcades. This motorcycle racing game offers two-wheel thrills no other game can provide. Think of it as San Francisco Rush with motorcycles. I will try with this blog post to introduce you to this motorcycle racing game and offer some thoughts on it. This is "Road Burners" on "John's Race Space." Welcome!

Road Burners

Atari released "Road Burners" in 1999 as an arcade-only title. The goal of this arcade racing title is to complete three laps on mostly urban style race courses. Doing so requires you to properly race your motorcycle around fast-approaching corners. You share the course with seven other riders. I may have played this game a couple of times before. All I can tell you is that you have to be alert in your riding in this game. You can perform stunts ranging from getting lots of air along with doing wheelies. Go ahead and show your prowess in the United States and in Europe!

Locations.

The various locations in Road Burners takes you to the United States and western Europe. Here are the five locales:

As you can probably tell from these venues, you will be racing on city streets and country roads. Be on the lookout for shortcuts that can give you an advantage if you are down or if you want to significantly lower your lap times. Each race lasts three laps. Cross the Checkpoints to extend your time. Try to clear each race within the time limit. If you run out of time trying to complete the race, the game is over.

Vehicles.

All vehicles are motorcycles. Choose between sport bikes, some cruisers, and even scooters. To my knowledge, I don't think there is any performance advantage to racing one specific motorcycle over another. So you could be just as competitive on a cruiser as you would be on a proper sport bike. By the way, none of the motorcycles are licensed motorcycles.

Final Thoughts.

Road Burners is a very good game and a very entertaining one even if you don't like motorcycles that much. It delivers fast-paced action and some exciting game play. Great looking graphics (even for its time) make the game a pleasure to look at. When playing the game, you will be put to the test with the frenzied action. There is not much to complain about with this game. So if you find this game at an arcade area or arcade room, feel free to give this game a try!

Video Preview.

I tried to find a non-emulated video of this game, and this was really as best as I could find:

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